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An unbiased review from either a fanboi nor a hater.
mahierl2005
Member UncommonPosts: 94
First of all, my name is Marshall and I have been around these forums for a while now. I don't post a lot, mostly because the flaming is ridiculous, and opinions mean next to nothing here. However, as I have been looking through the forums lately, I have seen a lot of AoC reviews that were.. lacking. Or at the very least extremely biased. I have been playing MMO's for the better part of 10 years. I am a programmer myself, and what I offer you is an unbiased, realistic view of AoC.
One thing I want you all to know is this. MMO's are like children. We all have differnt experiences with our kids. That said, yours may not, and hopefully IS NOT, the same as mine. What I say I see and feel about the game may not be the same as you. Thats ok. It's just a viewpoint. Your welcome to yours, and I appreciate any constructive criticism. However, for the average player looking to get into this game, I think they will find this helpful and informative. It will be long and thorough.
Currently, I am a lvl 60 Priest of Mitra. I run my own guild, Champions of Destiny, on the Thog server. We have around 50 members, which actually makes us one of the larger guilds if you take a look around on our server.
In the beginning, in Tortage, things seem easy enough. The quests, while somewhat old, are still refreshing as you are in an "awe" period. They are easy, compact, and you can quickly progress through the first 10 levels or so. Most of this from my experience is almost 100% solo, although you can group, but its not really any faster in this area of the game. You soon start doing your "destiny" quests, which is a solo questline to try to remember who you once were. Once you hit level 20, and move away from tortage, the newbie area, you get into the real meat of the game. My view of Tortage, actually, is a good one. I enjoyed it, and found it refreshing. However, I would be lying if I said I wasnt ready to get the heck out of there by level 20. I think that 20 levels is... a bit much, and that this could have easily been scaled down a little bit. The replayability, while there is some, its definately not much. I've been through tortage twice now, and I can't say I'd want to go through it a 3rd time.
This game as others have stated, is very taxing on the system. I have a pretty good system and get 35-40 fps. People trying to play this game on a subpar system are definatel not going to have a good experience. Please, know your systems capabilities before you rush out and drop 50 bones on this game. You may find that what you thought played WoW at 80fps wil play this barely at all. Its definately a possibility.
Moving on into the 20's, I leveled through an area called the "Wild Lands". The graphics for lack of a better term were stunning, even on low or medium. Far better than WoW, or anytihng else out at the moment. But something was missing in it for me. The immersion didnt seem to be there. Granted this was during early release, so the majority of the player base hadnt been implemented yet. It seemed very cold, very lonely in what actually is a huge zone. There were times I would rarely come across someone else, and this of course if you have followed the game, is because they use "instancing". Now before the haters get all up in arms, understand that this is NOT like WoW's instancing. It's not a dungeon, where you go in, do your thing and leave. Its just a copy of the same zone. So, while I was in this "Wild Lands" zone, there were 5 more copies of the zone running on the server. I eventually found a copy with more people, and it looked more alive, but having to do that really is a nuisance, even if it is just a couple clicks of a button. No, it didnt ruin the immersion. its just one of those things that make you scratch your head I guess. On the bright side, however, quests were VERY quick to be finished. Kill 10 of these? sure. Get this from this mob? no problem. Less people means less competition for mobs etc, so it definately had its advantages. But.. I still think there could have been a better way. Or, maybe there wasnt, and I just WISH there were a better way. However that said, I think it was an acceptable solution to the problems they would have had if everything had been in a single "instance".
On to level 30. Right around here is where I felt my PoM come into its own class. As a priest I was killing things like Flash Gordon, but around lvl 30 that started changing. My heals got better, my armor no longer provided the same protecion, and my dmg spells no longer did 65% of the mobs hp in 1 hit. I still was a ruthless killer, with 0 downtime, but it wasnt blazing anymore. So please, anyone, get to lvl 30 with your toon before deciding if you like it, or screaming on these forums that your ovepowered as a level 20 ranger. Overpowered compared to what, a bunny? Uh... sure.
Now, I dont like comparing everything to WoW, but there is one thing I think Blizzard did really well.. Talents and levels. By that, I mean the talent trees. They are definately more innovative. In AoC , they seem more like a byproduct.. aka not really a "spec", but more of just a few added perks. For instance in wow as a holy priest, healing was all I could do. Period. Here, even speccing fully for healing, my dmg is still evry high. This may be because they need to tweak classes still, and I understand that. But at this time, it still seems a bit off. And by leveling, I mean getting new skills every 2 levels in WoW. In AoC, after about lvl 25, I really only get useful spells every 5 levels... 30, 35, 40, 45, 50, 55, 60, etc. I think, especially at the later levels, thats too long to go without getting some new toys to play with. Thats just my opinion tho.
OK so, onto level 40. Quests were still plentiful for me, and most of my xp was coming from quests. However, I did notice around lvl 45 starting to have to grind a bit to get that next evel so that I could solo my next quests. So I guess you could say this is where the game really starts to slow down.
By the time I hit lvl 50, as a priest I really needed to start grouping for a lot of my quests that were of medium difficulty. Killing things is much slower, but still very fast for a healing class. However, the amount of Dmg I take is ridiculous, and this definately needs changed. At times, I can be 1 shot by a mob of my own level. Granted its a crit, but that shouldnt happen, and I know they are aware, and I know they will fix it, but for now its a pain when trying to level lol. Also at lvl 50, I find myself grinding approx 1/2 of each level I get. And that is still the case at level 60. OK, so now you know what the early and mid levels are like. Lets talk about some miscellaneous things.
Travel: They absolutely have to do something about this or people wont survive past for the first 30 days. My guild city is in Poitain. I grind and quest in an area that, no kidding, takes me almost 40 minutes to get to if I try to get there the way it is intended to do so. Instead, I death port across zones (die, and rez at the closest rez point to the exit of that zone that I need to take). This is NOT how this is intended to work, and they have acknowledged this and will be putting in a system to try to deter death porting in the future. However, at this time the death penalty is so neglegible thats its absolutely laughable. Literally. Horses and mounts arent much faster than regular character speed, if any at ALL. Some are even slower.. the mammoth comes to mind for obvious reasons. This has to be fixed. WoW's world may not be as large, but EQ's definately is, and it doesn't take 45 minutes to get ANYWHERE in either of those games.
Traders: Traders are either innovative, or retarded, depending on which side of the fence your on. The good part I suppose, is that the trader acts as a place to sell your goods (aka auction house but no auction), a personal bank, and a guild bank. Also all mail is sent/received from the trader. ALL from the trader...I have to be honest and say that I am on the retarded side of this fence. All of those things are responsible for by one single set of NPC's? Imagine WoW having no mailboxes, banks, or guild banks. Imagine the Auctioneers being the only ones who do it all. Now you get my drift. How often has the auction house gone down? I think your getting my point now. IF ONE OF THESE THINGS GO DOWN, THEY ALL HAVE TO BE BROUGHT DOWN. If one breaks, they all break. We didnt get a means to sell , get mail, or anything else until just 2 days ago, simply because the personal BANK didnt work.. everything else was fine. But could we send mail? no. Sell things? no. Largely in part of this , there is no economy to think of. It's just starting to get going. A minor inconvenience atm, but later on far more important. Again, this is just my opinion on the matter, dont flame me for it please.
CRAFTING: I am an architect for my guild and as such, dont really craft for money. But from what I have heard from others, its extremely expensive right now, and the stuff sells for nothing. I vaguely remember a post a while back about how Gaute I believe said "we dont want people making 50 useless widgets just to be able to make a bigger widget" or.. something like that anyhow. But thats exactly what it is. A lot of people I have talked to simply said they throw their stuff away. Heck, until a few days ago there was no way to sell it anyhow. It is however on the whole a decent system. But you can tell it wasnt the main focus.
Combat system: OK,I think I will appease everyone when I say yes, it is innovative. Fanbois are right. But, is it REALLY anytihng new? I'm with the haters on this one and I say no. Could it be? yes. I'll explain. Yes there is active blocking. Yes you can set shields up around you in different orders etc. Yu can even dodge in real time. Now the real question.. does anyone actually use it? NO. I mean I'm sure a few people here will say yes they do, but on the whole I can guarantee you most people leave their shields even, dont change them, and rarely try to dodge. They think they are a warrior in wow lol. Yes, combos are fresh and nice. And the finishing moves are 1337. But what good is all this innovation in a combat system if NOBODY IS USING IT? This of course is not Funcoms problem. Its the players. And in all honesty, I think the players are right. Theres just too much going on. Changing shields, dodging, pulling off long combos + your other abilities is.. tedious. Its not so much hard, as it is that it gets old really fast. Is combat good? yes. Does it feel more like combat? for sure. Is it innovative? Most definately.Is it any BETTER? I'm not so sure.
Guild Cities: These can be amazing. And in reality they dont take NEARLY as many resources as I had initially been led to believe. I can aquire all the mats MYSELF for a level 1 keep, in a few hours. A little too easy as far as I'm concerned, but I understand that there will be a lot of guilds out there with around 25 people, so its completely understandable. HOWEVER... at this time, there is a bug where sometimes your building wont BUILD.. it will take your resources, and not put up your building. Because of this, my guild and I hve decided to hold off on building anything else for the time being. But the system is very user friendly, not ard to learn, and feels very natural. GJ with this one to Funcom in my opinion. Great addition.
GROUPING: Wow... (no pun intended) where to start... let me just say.. its garbage. I hate to say that about a game I want to love, but the truth is grouping is in some cases worse than just soloing. Not funcoms problem though. The problem I have had is getting group balance, makeup, and ability all to mesh. People have a lot of ideas about what a great or perfect grp makeup is in WoW... of course they have had 4 years to decide that. Because this game uses "instancing" in its zones, it is possible that you only have 6 tanks to group with.. or, 5 dps'ers and a healer... you get the point. You can always invite someone and then summon them to your zone, but it doesnt always work, and there arent always the players togroup with, yet that is. Most people are still in te 30's, I'm in the 60's, but getting a COMPETENT group has been hard for me. A group of mid 50's in good gear going into a low 50's instance should blow it away. We got wrecked because we either had too much dps, to olittle dps, too many tanks, no tank, etc... but like any new game, we had to TRY.. and I think thats where the bad taste comes from. Until everyone learns their classes, etc, its going to be rough. It is , however, harder in this game than most because the learning curve is far more steep than say.. that other game I wont mention again. At level 60, I feel that I barely have a firm grasp on my class, and I have a lot of improving to work upon, and I'm not ashamed to admit it.
In Conclusion.....
Its a fun game. It does get drawn out at the later levels, but I think thats because of a lot of factors. For the first 40 levels its a blast. It does take time, there is a steep learning curve, and gear doesnt account for what skill you lack in this game as in that other game. Combat is innovative but overwhelming at times, and the system requirements are high. City building is awesome, crafting is mediocre, and the immersion is awesome. How long will it hold your attention? I think that depends on you. For me? A year or so, considering they come up with content updates. Without them? 3-4 months on the top end.. I am almost already at level cap, and I think theres still a lot of work to do. Some people on these forums say they dont want to pay for an "open beta". Well.. like all MMO's at release, its gonna be bumpy. But I will say they are making great progress, nearly daily patches, and things look good. As far as actual MMO releases are concerned I have been around for a few dozen.. and I think this is one of the better ones. Is it all the hype has cracked it up to be? Not a chance. But then again, is it ever? In the end, give it a shot if you can get a buddy pass or if you got the dough to spare. If your on the fence about it then I hope this helped you out. But in all honesty if you dont REALLY want to play this game, and your on the fence, then I would say this game is not for you. My 2 cents. I'll leave you this some ubber awesome numerical values that I give the game, and you guys have a great afternoon.
Sound: 7/10
Graphics: 10/10
combat: 6/10
immersion: 9/10
guild cities: 9/10
crafting: 4/10
world travel: 1/10
replayability(at this time) 6/10 the first replay, 1/10 thereafter.
OVERALL: 7.5/10
Comments
Great review.
Awesome review as far as the game goes overall i think it will improve Alot as it goes up since alot of things got left behind in the rushed release, They focused on getting most of the lower content done. As far as replayability it should improve hopefully as they come out with new zones and such... I hope... One thing I did like about EQ 2 tons of different zones to level in at lower levels.
best thing you can do now though is just stick it out try some different chars up to like 20-30 ish to get a feel for them to see what Char you want to make main etc. that or go outside and get some air.. ( The SUN IT BURNS!!)
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"Not your Average Noob"
©Signore 2005
Lol thanks guys. Yes, the SUN DOES BURN!!!!!! Seriously, I been going at it non stop. I think it will get better with time. But as of today it is what it is.
a great review ?? depending on who reads it really..
I think this was a very subjective one I've read for more objecgtive reviews which actually doesn't compare AoC to other games, the guy who post claims not tp be a fanboy of WoW seems like it still sits very much in him. 
Try to make a new review this time try to leave out WoW so it actually doesn't make you sound like your contradicting yourself.
I agree with that some what, but there is reasons why WoW is so Successful, basically it was a good game pre BC, then blizzard started to listen to the noobs that cryed because they had to go to bed early and couldn't get PvP gear the fair way... Now WoW is basically ruined, Come WotLK it will either break WoW and turn it into the next runescape ( 12 year old baby sitting game) or they change it back so the game actually has meaning and may be successful but, alike for AoC I just hope Funcom is smart enough to make updates and expansions to AoC that wont be based on a Bunch of QQ crying over Spilled milk.
___________________________________
"Not your Average Noob"
©Signore 2005
It is a very good review and decently objective considering it is from a player.
He brings up in interesting point. I am not sure I agree with it, but its interesting. If no one uses a feature set is it good? The problem here is that it may take a quite a while for people to start using it.
If you look at Guild Wars it took people quite some time to fully work out the ins and outs and pros and cons of their system. And some parts of it are really only used by a select few but still can have a real effect in PvP. For example there are not that many good Mesmers, it takes a lot of knowledge and real good timing, but a good Mesmer in PvP is really impressive.
Perhaps it will turn out that way for the combat system. Although I do not consider AoC combat innovative and I think it has the potential to get seriously bogged down, there are at least elements to it with possibilities. At least it has elements of anticipation of countering that could make combat more than just a simple equation.
Well reguarding the Combat system yes it tedious to do over and over, They should just make an Automatic type option that would do it roughly for you or make it easier but less accurate. Such as Auto vs Manual in a Car, Obviously Manual is better but alot more tedious since it requires alot more concentration which is hard in mindless grinding.
___________________________________
"Not your Average Noob"
©Signore 2005
I've read a lot of your posts, and it seems your entire goal on this forum is to trash anyone that says one negative thing about AoC.
If you're going to help someone decide whether something is right for them, you use something they are familiar with. In this case WoW.
This review was very honest, straight to the point, and whenever he said something subjective he made it very clear that it was his own opinion.
I think you should probably let your guard down a bit and let people say something negative about the game you so obviously live to defend without trashing their opinions.
EDIT: Wanted to add something constructive. To gestalt about the "people using a feature" thing.
It really comes down to whether that feature makes a difference that outweighs the tedium in using it. If moving your shields around turns the tides of the battle then you'll see people doing it. If it, however, does very little to the damage you mitigate then no one will use it.
The benefits must outweigh the costs in order for a feature to be a "good" one and for it to be used. From everything I've read in reviews and such it seems that the rewards aren't outweighing the costs at the moment. Perhaps they'll change that.
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I live to fight, and fight to live.
If you're going to help someone decide whether something is right for them, you use something they are familiar with. In this case WoW.
This review was very honest, straight to the point, and whenever he said something subjective he made it very clear that it was his own opinion.
I think you should probably let your guard down a bit and let people say something negative about the game you so obviously live to defend without trashing their opinions.
Seriously, easiest way to do this in my opinon is just imagine your self in other peoples Shoes what other people might like in different cases as for the world doesnt revolve around you and your opinions.
Edit: Well personally I enjoy the combat system Refreshing and keeps you awake and alert.
___________________________________
"Not your Average Noob"
©Signore 2005
I've read a lot of your posts, and it seems your entire goal on this forum is to trash anyone that says one negative thing about AoC.If you're going to help someone decide whether something is right for them, you use something they are familiar with. In this case WoW.
This review was very honest, straight to the point, and whenever he said something subjective he made it very clear that it was his own opinion.
I think you should probably let your guard down a bit and let people say something negative about the game you so obviously live to defend without trashing their opinions.
Seriously, easiest way to do this in my opinon is just imagine your self in other peoples Shoes what other people might like in different cases as for the world doesnt revolve around you and your opinions.
Well it's impossible to give a review without giving an opinion. That's what a review is. But I think he does a very good job of pointing out where his opinions are and steers clear of thinking that everyone has the same opinion he does.
EDIT: Hi Fion. been a while. lol I agree with most of what you say, but I disagree about the Feat system being good.
The purpose of having feats/talents/etc. is to "define" your class and to customize your playstyle within your class. If you want to heal more, then put points into healing. If you want to do more damage, then put more points into damage.
If the feat tree doesn't allow bad decisions like you say, then it doesn't allow good decisions. Which means it's more or less there for fluff and for no real defining purpose.
I think they took the "safe" route with the feat tree based on your description of it, and while that's not a bad thing, it definitely isn't a good thing because it means that no matter what you specialize as, you have nothing that separates you from other people in your class.
This is just a difference of opinions on the feat system of course, and my opinion is based on yours and others' descriptions of it, and not on playing it, so I might have interpretted it wrong.
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I live to fight, and fight to live.
Thats a fair review and while I disagree on several points, you presented your point of view very well.
I just wanted to comment on this particular section. First of all, WoW did horribly on their talents. They were added to the game less then a month from launch. If you can find some of the talent layouts from the first days of release they were horribly unbalanced and far from well thought out. AoC's are in much better condition as a 'just released' MMOG.
Next, WoW's talents being more innovative in that the AoC Feats don't really fall into a 'spec' but are more perks. You hit it more on the head then you realize, clearly.
AoC's feat system has the layout of WoW's talent System, or damn close anyway. But they are far more based on Anarchy Onlines 'Perk' system, which is a way to augment what each class already is capable of, and add some abilities that enhanse a class.
WoW perks are a 'spec' in that in WoW, talents MAKE the character. Much more so then your base class and even your gear. You play a druid? Then your 'spec' is feral, balance or restoration. You play a warrior your 'spec' is arms, furry or protection. While there is the ability to spread out your points a bit, you will utterly and completely gimp yourself if you do not delve deep into one of these trees and you simply are unable to be effective if you try and delve deeply into two of them.
There are a lot of limitations because of this. Especially early on in WoW when the talents were so poorly constructed and laid out. If your not a resto druid, you didn't get into groups. If you weren't a Protect warrior, you weren't allowed in raids, sometimes even guilds, unless there were already several protect spec warriors. That exists to this day, though it's less severe.
Another limitation of WoW's Talent system is that you are effectively limited to a specific spec. You are EITHER spec 1, 2 or 3. Theres little variation. Every druid knows the proper talents to be a good Feral druid. Every class has these templates and differing from them to greatly results in a gimped character, or at least one that takes a lot more work to get the job done.
Another major limitation of the Talent system is that your basically have to choose which 3rd of your class potential you want to invest in. Because the talent system is so rigid, focused and makes the character more then even the class itself, you never get to fully realize your classes potential. You must choose which part of the class to focus in and you sacrifice, to a great extent, the rest of your class potential.
Now, I'm not bashing on WoW here. I'm just noting some of the more notable limitations of the Talent system. Though trust me WoW is a lot more boring and generic without it. (At least it was during beta lol.) I'm simply stating them so that I may show the Feat system in contrast. So on to that topic;
The Feat system is more like Anarchy Online's 'Perk' system in that it augments your class and adds to it's capabilities or fleshes out it's capabilities more so then it defines your class and it's abilities. So while each Feat in AoC has less over-all affect on your characters 'build', it doesn't limit your choice to certain builds. It doesn't limit your class potential, and it doesn't limit you to a specific set of abilities or force you into a spec because thats what your guild or your group needs the most.
It's much more flexable. You've got tree's within trees, and you never EVER have to worry about gimping yourself simply because you didn't take a specific feat or go down a specific line. You can spread yourself out and never reach the bottom of any tree and still do fantastic.
The benefits of this system far outweigh the downsides. Priest classes don't have to worry about taking that 'heal spec' so they can get into groups and subsiquently become absolutely gimp at doing anything outside of being the healbot. Mages can choose to enhance their potential with one type of magic without making the other type useless. Or limiting themselves to one part of the class and cut themselves off from the fun in other parts. A Guardian can still focus on his defenses and not worry about loosing all his DPS. He can still pull out that Spear and gut his enemies pretty damn well.
In the end, the Feat system is far more flexible, far less limiting and there is no 'must have' spec. I know, long ass reply when I'm just basically saying 'I disagree. The Feat system is far superior to the Talent system.'
But I wanted to go into detail a bit. 
I beg to difference feat system is exact copy of Talent system plus most of the feats just do not make any sense whatsoever mainly because they merged some of the classes such as Lich into necros and then made them into feats. When i look at Wow talent system i can see clearly what each path stands for but in AoC its a mess as it stand plus certain feats are way to broken for classes such as PoM or BS (mana regen ftw).
Good review. I agree with most of it. Combat is horribly clumsy. If all you do is stand there and spam combos while hoping for the fatality animation you're probably pretty well off and don't mind it being what it is. If you actually try to use all of the features they implemented though, you're probably pretty frustrated.
I agree that active blocking is an interesting concept, but when you're focusing on your opponent's defensive openings and trying to land combos to take advantage of them, you're probably not spending as much time worrying about where your opponent is landing theirs. There simply isn't enough time. It's easier to place one shield on each of your three sides and try to wait out the default damage that mobs do. As the OP said, it's an interesting feature that probably no one uses. Personally I don't know of anyone who uses it.
The directional dodges are also interesting, and probably used more often than the active shielding because they are more easily triggered. One double-tap forward and you spring towards your opponent for a brief boost in dps. A double tap backwards or to either side causes you to dodge in that direction for a brief boost in defense. Even so, I mostly forget to use this feature with any regularity as well. When I do use it, 90% of the time it's because I've fat-fingered a key and it happens on accident. Once I accidentally dodged right off a cliff while fighting two mobs. Certainly not on purpose.
The core issue here is that most confrontations simply do not provide enough time to worry about most of these bells and whistles. A few well placed combos and most mobs are dead. Perhaps on a boss fight I will have enough time to stop and consider where I'm being repeatedly struck so that I can move my shields over, hit dodge, and then swing my sword. But I doubt I will care even then.
As for a comparison to WOW:
I like the way Dominoes cuts their pizza into squares, however, I don't know if I like the taste as well as I do Pizza Hut..
....i.e., people have too much of a problem comparing mmorpgs with each other when that's what we do with everything, all day, every day.
It is a very good review and decently objective considering it is from a player.
He brings up in interesting point. I am not sure I agree with it, but its interesting. If no one uses a feature set is it good? The problem here is that it may take a quite a while for people to start using it.
If you look at Guild Wars it took people quite some time to fully work out the ins and outs and pros and cons of their system. And some parts of it are really only used by a select few but still can have a real effect in PvP. For example there are not that many good Mesmers, it takes a lot of knowledge and real good timing, but a good Mesmer in PvP is really impressive.
Perhaps it will turn out that way for the combat system. Although I do not consider AoC combat innovative and I think it has the potential to get seriously bogged down, there are at least elements to it with possibilities. At least it has elements of anticipation of countering that could make combat more than just a simple equation.
Why this is not objective is the fact that he compares to WoW which he obviously likes a lot.
The review would be good if he choose not to compare with another game he obviously has been playing for much longer than AoC and likes a lot.
A great review would be one that you actually point out the facts of a game without starting comparing a game with another like in this case WoW and AoC is very different types of games and game styles so hardly comparable at all. As for popularity some likes other things better than other.
It is actually possible to make a good review of a game without starting to compare it with other games unless you like the fact that you want to compare it to something you've played for a long time and like very much.
To make a balanced and good review you need to go into the pros and cons for all aspects as well as not letting your personal opinion take totally control of the review. Personal preferences will always make the reviewers blinded which is sad actually and those who read it which haven't tried the game get fooled by a long meaningless review really.
If you choose to make a review based on your point of view then you should often comment that this is ofcourse your opinion.
Some people thinks the combat system is great some don't. A better and more objective point would be if he were to compare it to WoW.. Unlike in WoW where you have buttons you click on and your character does things automatically AoC you have to do active attacking aiming and blocking. And then he could say he prefere WoW style for instance so you see this is why I don't think this is a great review and if you read it closely you would come to the same conclusion..
Most "serious" reviewers are so few it's really hard to come across their postings. This review is ok enough but not great.
I've read a lot of your posts, and it seems your entire goal on this forum is to trash anyone that says one negative thing about AoC.
If you're going to help someone decide whether something is right for them, you use something they are familiar with. In this case WoW.
This review was very honest, straight to the point, and whenever he said something subjective he made it very clear that it was his own opinion.
I think you should probably let your guard down a bit and let people say something negative about the game you so obviously live to defend without trashing their opinions.
EDIT: Wanted to add something constructive. To gestalt about the "people using a feature" thing.
It really comes down to whether that feature makes a difference that outweighs the tedium in using it. If moving your shields around turns the tides of the battle then you'll see people doing it. If it, however, does very little to the damage you mitigate then no one will use it.
The benefits must outweigh the costs in order for a feature to be a "good" one and for it to be used. From everything I've read in reviews and such it seems that the rewards aren't outweighing the costs at the moment. Perhaps they'll change that.
Yeah you probably read my last postings which is mostly as for AoC, and I'm not defending AoC for being a better game but it seems like WoW fans is desperate to try to make a comparision to AoC I mean seriously the games are very different gaming style so not comparable both games has their good things and bad things as all the other games.
As for trashing anyone having negative to say about AoC you haven't really read the post good I take it, put things in context instead or try to read more of my postings.
People are entitled to their opinion of a game but unfortunatly we cannot get away from the fact that people who is constant in urge of telling others in forums mostly because most people won't go into the game section itself to read the reviews there which makes their reviews kinda waste of time to write unless people reads it.
or just look the fact that I might have a different opinion and I urge people to be more objective. As if you've read more of my post than the few last ones is that when people start the topic with unbiased review... well it says it all. how about simply this is my review? nah it won't attract people so we flavour it up a bit so people can come and read.
many who has replied to this thinks it's a good review it's your opinion as for me I have seen much better ones for AoC, WoW or any other games.. people seem enjoy to compare a game the like with another popular or new one and give them a piece of their brain even though the games compared are hardly comparable at all which is my bottom point. Yeah AoC has it's flaws as well as WoW still those 2 games are very different.
Excellent review. You made your points well and supported them clearly. Thanks for posting!
It's always good to get someone elses perspective. As you rightly say, everyone's experience is different.
Personally, I'm a massive fan of Howard's stories - that's why I want the game. I've never been a big MMORPG fan generally - I played WoW for about 6 weeks and hated it (because of the combat mostly - seriously, it's just a bunch of random number generators!). If this game had all it's current qualities and innovations, but were not based on the Conan literature and were an original story, I wouldn't even give it the time of day. Not because it's not awesome - it sure looks awesome from what I've seen- I'm just trying to drive home the point that I, like a lot of people, are particularly attracted because it's Conan.
For that reason, I can see myself tolerating an awful lot of the kind of minor annoyances that would have most MMORPG players fuming and logging off in disgust - because it's Conan! Maybe Funcom are banking on there being a lot of people like me, who knows. Certainly the travelling issue will be no problem to me - I plan on RPing and soloing most of the game anyway, and am happy to go "where the wind takes me".
Personally, I like the distances between cities - it more accurately captures the mood of Howard's works. They are set in prehistory after all, as well as in a time only a couple of millenia after an Earth-shattring cataclysm. The aesthetic of Howard's world is that it contains pockets of civilization separated by vast gulfs of barbaric wilderness. I can see why it's not for everyone; but a Howard fan would appreciate that.
No, the combat is nothing new. Revenant used a simillar system, admittedly in isometric view, in 1998. That's the point from my perspective - it's a return to how video game combat should be,and used to be (in the gold old days, when people were nice to each other and you could leave your front door unlocked. When TV was bland and inoffensive). Not the inane button mashing and random number generator dice-rolls of WoW. WoW combat is little better than a Final Fantasy game! I don't think anyone truly believes that the combat in AoC is innovative in itself - it's more like a return to a Golden Age of arcade style combat. And that's fine by me! I can assure you that I will be leaping about and blocking 'Devil May Cry' stylee all over the place - and laying down the pwnage in the process. The idea is that lower level players still have a chance to beat a higher level player if the player themselves is more skilled - even if that is a slim chance, it's still better than WoW offered. It strikes me as being more like playing a video game, and less like doing maths homework than WoW was.
I still haven't managed to play it yet, as I am awaiting some memory I've ordered from Crucial.com (should be here tomorrow), but nothing you have said has put me off yet.
All my views above come from a place of not actually having played yet; but these are the things that are attracting me to the game and if that's the worst you have to say about the game, then frankly I find your review reassuring. It's good to hear an unbiased review - someone calling it like they see it.
Thank you once again.
An objective review would be entirely unhelpful; we, the reader, need to read reviews that reflect the reviewer's experience of playing the game. An objective review would simply be a dispassionate list of technical specifications.
As for comparing it to other games; when reading a review, the reader requires context to understand the game. That context is provided by comparison to something with which the reader will have experience. Without comparative context, the review is useless and ceases to be a review at all. The fact is, at the moment WoW is the most popular MMORPG out there, and will therefore be the game that most readers of the review will be likely to have experience of.
Thats a fair review and while I disagree on several points, you presented your point of view very well.
I just wanted to comment on this particular section. First of all, WoW did horribly on their talents. They were added to the game less then a month from launch. If you can find some of the talent layouts from the first days of release they were horribly unbalanced and far from well thought out. AoC's are in much better condition as a 'just released' MMOG.
Next, WoW's talents being more innovative in that the AoC Feats don't really fall into a 'spec' but are more perks. You hit it more on the head then you realize, clearly.
AoC's feat system has the layout of WoW's talent System, or damn close anyway. But they are far more based on Anarchy Onlines 'Perk' system, which is a way to augment what each class already is capable of, and add some abilities that enhanse a class.
WoW perks are a 'spec' in that in WoW, talents MAKE the character. Much more so then your base class and even your gear. You play a druid? Then your 'spec' is feral, balance or restoration. You play a warrior your 'spec' is arms, furry or protection. While there is the ability to spread out your points a bit, you will utterly and completely gimp yourself if you do not delve deep into one of these trees and you simply are unable to be effective if you try and delve deeply into two of them.
There are a lot of limitations because of this. Especially early on in WoW when the talents were so poorly constructed and laid out. If your not a resto druid, you didn't get into groups. If you weren't a Protect warrior, you weren't allowed in raids, sometimes even guilds, unless there were already several protect spec warriors. That exists to this day, though it's less severe.
Another limitation of WoW's Talent system is that you are effectively limited to a specific spec. You are EITHER spec 1, 2 or 3. Theres little variation. Every druid knows the proper talents to be a good Feral druid. Every class has these templates and differing from them to greatly results in a gimped character, or at least one that takes a lot more work to get the job done.
Another major limitation of the Talent system is that your basically have to choose which 3rd of your class potential you want to invest in. Because the talent system is so rigid, focused and makes the character more then even the class itself, you never get to fully realize your classes potential. You must choose which part of the class to focus in and you sacrifice, to a great extent, the rest of your class potential.
Now, I'm not bashing on WoW here. I'm just noting some of the more notable limitations of the Talent system. Though trust me WoW is a lot more boring and generic without it. (At least it was during beta lol.) I'm simply stating them so that I may show the Feat system in contrast. So on to that topic;
The Feat system is more like Anarchy Online's 'Perk' system in that it augments your class and adds to it's capabilities or fleshes out it's capabilities more so then it defines your class and it's abilities. So while each Feat in AoC has less over-all affect on your characters 'build', it doesn't limit your choice to certain builds. It doesn't limit your class potential, and it doesn't limit you to a specific set of abilities or force you into a spec because thats what your guild or your group needs the most.
It's much more flexable. You've got tree's within trees, and you never EVER have to worry about gimping yourself simply because you didn't take a specific feat or go down a specific line. You can spread yourself out and never reach the bottom of any tree and still do fantastic.
The benefits of this system far outweigh the downsides. Priest classes don't have to worry about taking that 'heal spec' so they can get into groups and subsiquently become absolutely gimp at doing anything outside of being the healbot. Mages can choose to enhance their potential with one type of magic without making the other type useless. Or limiting themselves to one part of the class and cut themselves off from the fun in other parts. A Guardian can still focus on his defenses and not worry about loosing all his DPS. He can still pull out that Spear and gut his enemies pretty damn well.
In the end, the Feat system is far more flexible, far less limiting and there is no 'must have' spec. I know, long ass reply when I'm just basically saying 'I disagree. The Feat system is far superior to the Talent system.'
But I wanted to go into detail a bit. 
I beg to difference feat system is exact copy of Talent system plus most of the feats just do not make any sense whatsoever mainly because they merged some of the classes such as Lich into necros and then made them into feats. When i look at Wow talent system i can see clearly what each path stands for but in AoC its a mess as it stand plus certain feats are way to broken for classes such as PoM or BS (mana regen ftw).
You clearly only read the first line or two of what I wrote. The two systems are alike only in visual appearance and the fact that they are a way to personalize your character. Besides that, they differ greatly.
Well i can give you break down where you went wrongThere are many classes such as PoM. Necro and Barbs that make spec only for certain paths. i am pretty sure once the game gets few months into it people will cruch numbers and come out with best specs just like Wow. Orginally i remember there were lot of Hybrid specs when the game first came out remember all those Arc/fire/frost mages when we are doing MC
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Feat system is one of AoC's major weakness mainly because most of it is a mess they already silent nerfed it a lot and most of the tool tip description do not make any sense whatsoever. If you listen to the dev interview they want the feat system to be exactly like talents each path will enable players to play a certain way DT for example can be tank, dps or debuffer but half things aren't working as intended that it forces people to spec hybrid basically picking feats that work.
Very fine review. I find my experience with the game to be very similar to what the OP write. Fun but problematic.
I like the combat more than the OP but that might be because I am of a class that utilizes the newness of it more. Some classes play exactly like their counterparts in other traditional MMOs while others are very dependant on being almost a FPS player.
There is one aspect the OP didnt touch which is very bad. The customer service is not only slow which is to be expected in a new mmo but they have a custom of deleting your petition if you are not online when they get around to you. That means you have to be lucky to ever get any help from customer service.
"You are the hero our legends have foretold will save our tribe, therefore please go kill 10 pigs."
First off, thanks for the kind words from everyone. To answer a few questions about being biased: I compare to wow simply, and ONLY because 99% of the people on these forums have played it. No more, no less of a reason other than that. If I reviewed WoW, I would have PLENTY negative to say about it.
fion and check, u both brough up great points. For me with feats, I guess i kind fof like the way tha wow purely allows me to "mold" my priest. I can suck the life out of people and cause destruction or chaos, or go strictly healing. In AoC, I am admitadly a LOT more well rounded, but not necessarily great at anything. Jack of all trades master of none.
- as far as combat is concerned I agree and pose the same question others did.. does the benefit truely outweigh the tedium? At higher levels when your grinding alot, I have to say no. but for others, they may love it. For me being a caster, its not so bad though. But for strictly melee.. man, that would hurt the fingers afte a while lol.
But seriously, does the benefit outweigh the tedium you melee clases? I mean, do you really use all the game has to offer? It seems to me that its not a lack of options, but more a lack of TIME between swings and suck to actually get those things done. It almost seems like it should be an old final fantasy ATB game where each player takes a turn haha. set your shield, select your weapon set, dodge or cast a spell. ok I'm done, your turn haha.
After lvl 40 on my ranger I have found it necessary often to use the active dodges which give you a huge defense bonus for a short time. I never ever touvh the shields though. The time it takes to change them give you a far larger loss in damage over time than the increased defense give you health over time in return.
"You are the hero our legends have foretold will save our tribe, therefore please go kill 10 pigs."
I'm not sure I understand. WOW gets points because your holy priest can't actually do anything else?
Seems like the talent trees railroad you into certain playstyles, not much of a bonus if you ask me.
With AoC it's a far more gentle playstyle change that doesn't immediately ruin your viability for other tasks. Effectively leaving you with alternative solutions to deal with multiple situations.